Skullcandy presents the 2013 TransAm at Mountain Creek: Full Recap

In a weekend characterized by NFL upsets and comebacks, Marc Tremain and the Mountain Creek park crew were staging a comeback of their own for the TransWorld SNOWboardingTransAm presented by Skullcandy. Last season Mother Nature threw an upset of her own on Tremain’s park build and dropped the deepest snow accumulation of the season for the morning of the TransAm in New Jersey. This season she was looking to do the same with warm temperatures and a heavy down pour of rain the night before the event. Tremain had a different game plan in mind and was focused on staging a comeback after last year’s upset. After setting and resetting several features during the onslaught of weather, he gathered his team and huddled over buckets of salt solidifying his statement of features to improve upon last season.

The Skullcandy Cassette Tape was set sideways for riders to jump over. It left some guessing speed either coming up short or missing a hand plant and diving over the cassette like a goal line attempt to put points on the board. The snow was soft, but with the trade off of cushioned landings came the slag on speed for a clean take off into the feature. Speed and what route to take did not seem to affect Brandon Schmidt, who took home Zumiez Best Trick honors. Schmidt took advantage of the transition at the Coal Combo feature that had an up tube on one side of a pyramid formation into a down bar on the opposite side. He bypassed taking run at the rails and used the corner of the feature to throw a double front flip. Miles Fallon was on the offensive throughout the day especially on the Giro Creeper feature that had a flat box top on top and flat rails on the sides. Fallon turned heads with his fancy footwork in the pocket and his peers voted him most valuable rider to take home the Muscle Milk Rider’s Choice Award.

Bekah Ashley was able to use every opening in the field to her advantage and made quick work of getting over the Zumiez Couch into the down rail that followed. Ashley took home top honors for the gals with her consistent play. Brett Stewart used the run and gun approach to his riding. He sent it big off the Muscle Milk Tower of Triumph that was set up as a pole jam into the fence pieces that followed. Stewart used the air and jib feature to take home top honors for the guys. Nick Nolan got pitted in the Sanuk standing wave feature and kept his eyes on the opening at the end of the wave. The curling wall of snow stood almost double overhead for Nolan who earned himself the Pint Sized Ripper Award. Julia Norman got buck wild on the Ride Snowboards feature. In fact, she was bucked so hard after catching her toe side edge on the Wild West bar top jib that she dove head first to catch the Best Crash Award. Matt Behre stood out amongst the field taking an end around approach to the Anon Optics Tube Jib and highlighting his run at second place.

Riders reveled of the day’s events over pizza at the wrap up party. First place winners were given Ride Snowboards, Anon goggles, custom TransAm Skullcandy Aviator and Cassette Headphones, and flight vouchers to finals at Park City from Zumiez. Other winners also grabbed Zumiez gift cards, custom backpacks from High Cascade Snowboard Camp, custom TransAm Skullcandy Cassette Headphones, custom TransAm Coal Beanies, Giro Helmets, and Wend Wax. Miles Fallon was awarded 200 dollars from Muscle Milk for the Rider’s Choice Award and Brandon Schmidt pocketed 500 dollars in Zumiez gift card money for the Zumiez Best Trick Award. The biggest plays of the day from the top winners were summed up when they raised the coveted TransWorld SNOWboarding TransAm Epiphone heavy metal guitars over their heads. The playable trophies are engraved with the TransAm logo and stop location. Great players, rockers, and riders can all be characterized by their consummate creativity. What the future holds for the TransWorld SNOWboarding TransAm Tour is anyone’s guess, but Seven Springs, Pennsylvania will soon tell the tale.